Floor-covering



J. 1. TOMEC.

FLOOR COVERING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21.1918.

Patented May 17, 1921.

FIG; 1

W/T/VESSES lil-I 3.

5%. j INI/ENTOR TTOR/VEY UNTED STATES JOHN J'. TOMEC, 0F T BENTON, NEW JERSEY.

FLooit-coviinine.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led June I21, 1918. Serial No. 241,123.

To all whom it may cof/wem.'

Be it known that I, JOHN J. TOMEG, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Trenton, State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improve-y its objects to provide a floor covering of the character indicated, comprising asphalt as a base. j

A further'objectjof my invention is to rovide a floor covering of the character indicated having reinforcing means to prevent the buckling and cracking ofthe covering after it has been laid upon a floor.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be referred to-and pointed out in the detailed description thereof which follows or will be apparent from such description.

In order that my invention may be more readily understood and its practical and commercial advantages more fully appreciated, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which I have illustrated certain forms of embodiment ofthe salme and in which,'

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a portion of floor covering constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse, sectional view of the same; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional view of a modified construction of floor covering embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a substantially square' portion of floor covering constructed 'of bituminous materials combined with a filler vin accordance with myI invention. Although the portion of floor covering shown in Fig. 1 is in the form of a square, I desire it to be understood that my invention is not limited to the form of sheet illustrated. The sheets may be constructed in longI lengths `and of relatively great width as in the case of the well known Hoor covering, linoleum.

The floor covering as constructed by me and as embodying my invention, comprises as a.. base, asphalt, although .I do not wish my invention to be limited to that particular material, as it is obvious that an equivalent hydro-carbon or bituminous material may be employed. In addition to the asphalt baise, the floor 4covering includes a filler, whlch may comprise cork, wood Hour, Whiting, feldspar, Portland cement, lime and kauri gum. It will be understood, however, that the ingredients constituting the filler may be varied, certain of them being omitted, and also other ingredients than those mentioned, if found to be suitable as fillers, may be employed.'

In the construction of a floor covering embodying my invention, I employ the asu phalt base material and a filler in the propertion of approximately forty to sixty.v It w1ll be understood, however, that this proportion may bevaried if desired.

It is necessary only `that the proper amount of filler be employed to render the asphalt easily workable and stifl" and iirn` at the highest'summer temperature or at the highest room temperature to which the covering is liable to be subjected. In order to control to a certain extent and in a practical way the contraction and expansion of the floor covering after it has been laid and to prevent the buckling and `crack-ing or fracturing or the same, I provide a reinforcing means consisting of a metallic structure. In the construction as illustrated, this structure consists of a wire mesh or screen 2. Instead, however, of using a wire,screen such as is'shown, I may substltute therefor a sheet or sheets of expanded sheet metal, which expanded sheet metal construction is a well known article of commerce, or an other metal sheet of reticular construction. Thisv reinforcing sheet is embedded in the r .bottom surface of the asphaltic sheet. Such embodiment or embedding of` the reinforcing metallic structure in the bottom surface or bottom portion ofthe asphaltic sheet may be effected by forming the asphaltic sheets upon the same or by pressing the sheets after the same are formed upon the wire screen or other metallic structure, such as' expanded sheet metal. The

Patented May 17, 1921.

reinforcing metallic structure, as will be observed, is so emv partially or wholly visible. In other words, the lower side of the metallic reinforcing means may be described as being practically flush with the lower or bottom surface of the asphaltic sheet.

It may be desirable in certain cases to provide the asphaltic floor `covering with a top layer or covering of linoleum. If this should be so, such top layer or covering may be provided as indicated at 3 in Fig. 3. In such case the asphalt sheet and the linoleum sheet are secured together merely by pressure, the said sheets, however, having been previously warmed sufficiently to impart to their surfaces satisfactory adhesive qualities so that when pressed against each other'they adhere tightly together. If

preferreda separate adhesive material may be employed to secure the sheets together.

When a linoleum sheet is employed as shown in Fig. 3 it may comprise any ornamental design desired.

I claim:

A. floor covering, consisting of a sheet of asphaltic material, a sheet of linoleum secured thereto and constituting the top of the covering and a reinforcing reticulated metallic sheet embedded in the bottom side of the rst named sheet.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have hereunto signed my name this 18th day of June, A. D. 1918.

JOHN J. TOMEC. 

